About the author
Ruth and Latrobe Carroll wanted to present the people of the Appalachian region, historically presented as backward and resistant to change, accurately. They themselves were natives of New York, but they travelled extensively in North Carolina in their mission to get the topography, flora, fauna, and most importantly the people, right. The Tough Enough series is about the Tatum family anf their life in the Great Smoky Mountains. The series is actually about a dog called Tough Enough, but several of the books involve horses. The Latrobes had a particular talent for illustrating dogs; their Bumble Pup and Scuffles are particularly charming.
Finding the books
All the books are easy to find. Very good firsts can be expensive.
Links and sources
Terri A. Wear: Horse Stories, an Annotated Bibliography, Scarecrow Press, 1987
Longer summaries of the books by Judy A Teaford on AppLit
The Tatum Family Series, by Judy A Teaford, Mountain State University, Beckley, WV
Series
The Tough Enough series
Beanie
Tough Enough
Tough Enough’s Trip
Tough Enough’s Pony
Tough Enough and Sassy
Runaway Pony, Runaway Dog
Tough Enough’s Indians
Bibliography (horse books only)
Tough Enough
Henry Z Walck, New York, 1954, 64 pp, illus Ruth Carroll
Oxford University Press, New York, 1954
Tough Enough is a puppy. He antagonises the family who buy him as he is a tad destructive,
but he proves his worth!
Tough Enough’s Trip
Henry Z Walck, New York, 1956, 64 pp, illus Ruth Carroll
Oxford University Press, New York, 1956, 64 pp
Tough Enough’s Pony
Henry Z Walck, New York, 1957, 64 pp, illus Ruth Carroll
Oxford University Press, New York, 1957, 64 pp
The Tatums are visiting their great-grand-parents in North Carolina. While they’re there, Tough Enough finds an injured Banker pony and Beanie and the dog become fast friends with the sick pony Sassy.
Tough Enough and Sassy
Henry Z Walck, New York, 1958, 63 pp, illus Ruth Carroll
Beanie, Tough Enough, and the other Tatum children know they need to help their parents
by earning money for the farm. If matters get to bad, they worry that they might have to sell their pony Sassy.
Runaway Pony, Runaway Dog
Henry Z Walck, New York, 1963, 80 pp, illus Ruth Carroll
The vet has come…. Sassy and Tough Enough the dog escape, but it’s out of the frying pan and into the fire as they are caught by a man who runs an unusual zoo.
Tough Enough’s Indians
Henry Z Walck, New York, 1960, 64 pp, illus Ruth Carroll
The Tatum children are playing, and performing an eagle dance, which Beanie had to learn for a school play.
